Florida receives poor marks for driving safety laws

March 18, 2014

Florida receives poor marks for driving safety laws

Article provided by Gibbs & Parnell, P.A.
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Most people taking to Tampa area roads have seen the aftermath of a serious accident, or watched as other drivers narrowly avoided a crash. These situations often make motorists more aware of some of the unexpected things that can happen when they are behind the wheel.

Recently, the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety released a report that analyzed safe driving laws currently in place in states throughout the country. States received high ratings if they had passed laws that prohibit dangerous driving behaviors, which could potentially limit the amount of motor vehicle accidents in those locations.

Florida did not receive a high score from the organization, as the state lacks many of the basic laws designed to improve motorist safety. Florida ranked as one of the 11 worst states, with only 6 of the 15 laws that the study considered to be essential for safe driving. The group noted Florida's lack of a primary text-messaging ban, as well as the state's limited laws concerning conditional drivers' licenses for teens.

After the study was released, additional legislation has been proposed that could make Florida's roadways even more dangerous. Legislators proposed a bill that would allow some roadways to raise speed limits to 75 miles-per-hour. These roads must be divided highways with at least two lanes of traffic in each direction. The bill, which passed the House Transportation & Highway Safety Subcommittee, gives traffic engineers the right to recommend higher speed limits if they deem it to be safe for that particular roadway.

Some have expressed concern about the effect that these proposed changes would have on the amount of auto accidents happening in the state. Critics cite to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that list speeding as a factor in one-third of all fatal accidents nationwide. Increasing these limits could just open the door to more crashes in high-traffic areas.

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, you may be concerned about the expenses that you will incur while you are receiving the medical care that you need. You may feel trapped into accepting settlement offers that only pay a portion of the full value of your claims.

You should consult an experienced personal injury attorney to gain a clear view of the options that are available to you. Because each accident is different, it will be necessary to analyze the factors that led to the crash to determine who was at fault. Your attorney can then pursue recovery from the responsible parties, allowing you to focus on returning to health.